With the wide availability of online subscription services (SVOD) that provide users with thousands of opportunities to watch both television shows and movies instantly with just a small monthly subscription and internet access, the need for off-line movie rental of physical discs is rapidly becoming obsolete. These online services offer users the ability to watch video for a nominal fee. However, with three top services available vying for your hard earned dollar, which one should you choose?

Which Internet TV service is best?

Netflix

Netflix offer their customers the ability to watch TV shows and movies anywhere they like for as little as $7.99USD per month. They offer new subscribers a full first month for free. Their subscription plan is unlimited so users can watch as many streaming videos as they like. Videos will stream instantly over the Internet to a user’s television and other devices such as Xbox 360, PlayStation three, and Wii. Users can even enjoy streaming video from their Apple mobile devices, Android devices, and Windows devices. This includes both phones and tablets.

Enjoying the Netflix service will only require downloading their application to your machine or device and logging into your Netflix account. Their service operates at the monthly subscription that begins at sign-up with the first month being free. Netflix claims it’s possible to cancel subscription at any time and most Netflix users will agree they had no trouble canceling their subscription. Netflix is said to have more than 30 million customers all around the world. In fact, Netflix is the number one online subscription service for watching movies and television over the Internet. Using the Netflix service is extremely simple. A user just the searches for what they would like to watch on their device or machine and video will begin to stream. With the ease of use and affordability, it’s no wonder Netflix is the number one streaming video subscription service on the Internet.

Amazon Prime is another excellent subscription service. They offer their subscribers video streaming of thousands of movies and television shows with no limitations. Subscribers also receive Kindle books they can borrow from the Kindle owner’s lending library. Borrowing period will last for one month. In addition to these services, Amazon subscribers can also enjoy free two day shipping on many items purchased from Amazon.com. Amazon Prime offers subscribers a one-month free trial. Once the free trial is complete, subscription will cost $79 per year. This is a little cheaper than the Netflix subscription. However, users of Amazon prime a must pay for services a year in advance where Netflix allows users to pay by the month. This alone could make all the difference in the world.

Amazon Prime offers its users more than 2000 television programs they can watch without limits. Streaming each episode would cost other users a $1.99 to $2.99 per episode. Although that fee is very affordable, signing up for the Amazon prime subscription service can lead to a large amount of savings for those who would tend to watch a lot of videos through Amazon. Additional savings can be found through the Amazon prime subscription by taking note of the streaming movies they have available. Amazon prime offers their users more than 13,000 movies that can be watched without limits. These movies can be rented by other customers for anywhere from $1.99 to $9.99. However, there are many movies selections they cannot be viewed unless you are an Amazon prime customer.

Hulu Plus is included as yet another top video streaming services online. Much like Netflix, Hulu Plus can be streamed from popular mobile devices as well. This is the biggest difference between these three services. Netflix and Hulu Plus can be accessed through many more devices and machines than Amazon prime. Hulu Plus offers their subscribers a one week free trial and the service will cost $7.99 per month thereafter. We found no difference between the amount of streaming television shows and movies available. However, the biggest noticeable difference between these three services lies in the advertising. Hulu Plus has light advertising even in their paid subscription service. This is not much of a damper on the thousands of video they have available. Hulu Plus will also provide users with unlimited access to streaming video.

We were very pleased with all three services we reviewed. The differences are very minor but may be enough for users to decide which service is best for them. All services are very affordable at less than $10 per month for unlimited video streaming access. Users will have no difficulty finding their favorite television shows or movies to watch. Amazon prime services are a little bit cheaper although monthly subscription is not an option; users will have to pay a year in advance. Amazon prime also offers their users ability to borrow books. This is one service that Netflix and Hulu Plus do not offer. However, Netflix and Hulu Plus are available on many more devices including gaming consoles. Choosing which service is right for you may simply depend on the machine you wish to watch streaming video.

[…] has strengths, and weaknesses. Nothing conclusive, however, that came from my research leading me to go with one of them […]

Jack MaffeyJanuary 14, 2013 at 7:05 pm

Netflix all the way for me, cheap, convenient, and always plenty of new stuff added each month.

harpFebruary 25, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Amazon prime sucks…you better check ur devices before you get prime…No android devices work with prime except kindle. Once u pay the $79 ur locked in for the yr and they will not prorate ur bill at all, thats why they make u pay up front so u cant get out of it! Go with netflix(wish I had) More movies plus u can cancel anytime! (month to month)

BradFebruary 26, 2013 at 10:04 pm

Amazon Prime is worth the price. Unlimited shipping and streaming for $80!

Robert SorensenMarch 2, 2013 at 1:20 am

Why choose, I have all three. Also fandor, drama fever and viki.

robertMarch 22, 2013 at 11:16 am

I have amazon prime, which I also use for books and free shipping,and Netflix on my MBR TV (ROKU 2), and only Netflix on my FR tv (because Prime is not on TIVO). I am thinking of dropping TIVO and getting the new ROKU 3 for the FR TV. I would then setup a DVR thru Windows Media to record OTA shows when needed. I have great antennas and receive many local stations. I don’t think I need Hulu Plus but may try it out.

BryianPMarch 23, 2013 at 6:43 pm

I use Amazon Prime for my orders at Amazon mainly because of free shipping. I use Netflix for old school movies, and now i’m on a 2 week FREE Hulu Plus trial since I’m a student.. and I like it so far.

KatApril 30, 2013 at 11:01 am

Amazon charges you up front, then charges you again for the show if you want to watch anything current. That adds up if you’re watching, say CSI, CSI NY, ELEMENTAL, or other TV series when you have to pay $1.99 PER show to watch every week. That’s crazy expensive. Might as well get your cable back. The couple of things I get shipped from Amazon are free anyway and I have an IPad, not a kindle so this is pretty much useless for me. I went with PlayOn for shows that are not on Hulu Plus or streaming Netflix.

wallyJuly 26, 2013 at 2:27 am

Spot on with this guide my son, I love streaming as im no longer tied to any time frame just watch what i want and when i want to… Booooom, thanks for the info!

denniAugust 11, 2013 at 3:27 am

You should really just compare Netflix and Hulu plus. The Amazon Prime vod is an added bonus to the free delivery you get with your Amazon shopping.

Betwenn Netflix and Hulu Plus, Netflix is easily best but now that Hulu is not being sold you may find it offers more soon.

melAugust 13, 2013 at 3:33 am

It has to be NEtflix all the way, they are definately the dominant player and i only see them getting bigger and bigger

JaySeptember 5, 2013 at 3:44 pm

Here is my take on these services:-

Netflix – They offer older movies and TV shows which are generally more than a year old aside from original series of course but all for a low monthly fee. Amazon Prime – Pretty much the same as Netflix but with a yearly fee. Newer stuff available as well but you have to pay for that. So titles that are just out on DVD are available on Amazon Prime via Amazon Instant, for extra cost per purchase/rental. Hulu Plus – Again similar to Netflix, but includes full seasons of “current” TV shows. So something that aired within the last week, month, or couple months, will appear on Hulu Plus way before it’s on Netflix or Amazon. Hulu Plus is also available on more devices with a bigger catalog.

I subscriibe to Netflix and Hulu Plus, and only use Amazon/itunes/Google play if i’m looking for a movie not available.

JazzOctober 1, 2013 at 5:59 am

Although Netflix has T.V. shows, it is mostly movies and those T.V. shows are older shows. Hulu Plus is up to date next day television. It has everything that is currently showing [on regular broadcast television]. Hulu Plus is not just a library like Netflix, it lets you watch TV when it’s new. Netflix only puts out the previous season when the current one has finished airing. You are always behind the times on Netflix.

TomApril 20, 2014 at 11:59 pm

Netflix wins without a shadow of a doubt..

paniAugust 6, 2014 at 11:04 pm

Lets be honest they are all pretty similar and offer the same oldish content apart from Hulu Plus which is a glorified catch-up service. So then it comes down to original content and currently Netflix are dominating

Ronnie CecilJune 8, 2016 at 12:44 am

I’ve only had Netflix and Hulu plus for a short while. I lost my wifi last week for a couple of days and I was lost. Never thought I could get so attached to either service. I’m a night person and it was miserable with just OTA TV. Both have their strong points. However, Hulu offers a lot more “Clips” than “Episodes” . For the life of me I can’t figure out how they think anyone would want to watch a “Clip”. It’s nothing more than a commercial.